Savior With A Crossbow
by sweetheartjessie
Summary: I suck at summaries. Original Character/Daryl Dixon pairing. Rated M for language and content.
1. Chapter 1

**Special thanks to gurl3677 for helping me revise my story.**

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><p>Panic. That was the only emotion that Jessie could explain, the first thought that came to her mind. She watched as walkers fed on her co-workers, and as others were being executed. Jessie wanted nothing more than to flee the hospital, go home and hold her son close. Her heart began to beat faster at the thought.<p>

Jake, what if he wasn't alright? What if these things had gotten to him and the rest of her family? No, that couldn't happen. Her blue eyes rose to the ceiling as she felt tears start to well up. If there was a God, how could he stand by and watch this happen? What kind of loving "father" was that? Now Jessie was raised in a religious household. But she herself didn't exactly know what she believed in. Sure, she believed in there being a higher power. But to say that higher power was God she wasn't entirely sure.

"Jessie!" The cry for help pierced her ears. Slowly her eyes scanned to the left only to land on the petite form of one of the young nurses.

"Sarah!" Jessie cried out.

Dropping what she held in her hands, Jessie ran from behind the nurses' station and towards the other girl. She stopped half way when a walker grabbed the girl. There was nothing she could do she realized the moment the fowl smelling thing tore into the girl's skin. Fuck, there had to be a way out but how? People around her were screaming and rushing around in hopes of getting out. But there seemed to be no escape. They were trapped and there was nothing that any of them could do about it.

A hand tugged on her shoulder, yanking her back and tossing her into the row of her co-workers and friends who were standing along a wall. She stared horrified as the men with guns got ready to kill them. She couldn't let this happen. She had to get out of there and go home to her son. She had to stay alive. Just as the guns were fired, Jessie turned her body so the bullet would hit in a different location. She winced from the pain but took off running as adrenaline started pumping through her veins.

Jessie ignored the shouts from the men behind her as she hit the door to the outside. She slammed the door shut and locked it quickly before she took off to her car. She jammed the key into the ignition and started the car before driving off as fast as she could. Jessie knew one thing was for sure. She had to get her family and get the hell out of the city and hope for the best.

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><p>Pulling into the driveway, Jessie left the car running as she jumped out and raced inside. "Mom, Dad! Mike, Jake! We need to go!" She ran through the house looking through every room on the lower level before heading upstairs. That was when she realized that her life was now turned upside down. Her family was dead and being eaten by walkers. Jessie hurried back downstairs without thinking.<p>

She grabbed a bag and jammed it full of clothes from one of the bedrooms before rushing outside and jumping back into her car. Slamming the door close, she backed out of the driveway and floored it. She had no destination in mind. All she knew was that the life she knew was over. Wiping the tears from her eyes Jessie sucked in a deep breath, willing herself not to cry. Her eyes stung from the tears but she refused to let them spill from her eyes. She would let herself cry later, right now she has to find some place to go.

Speeding down back roads, Jessie kept her eyes on the road and her surroundings. She needed to be alert. There was no telling where Walkers would be. They could be anywhere, waiting for the chance to attack. A chance that Jessie wasn't about to give them. She had no plans on becoming a Walker meal. Surviving, that's what she was doing. That's all that she had left to cling to. There was no hope, she had lost all hope when she saw her family dead in their home. Her life had been yanked out from under her, leaving her vulnerable and confused, most of all scared.

Yes, Jessie admitted it to herself. She was scared, own right terrified. She had nothing left in this world. She stepped on the gas as she headed for Atlanta. In the back of her mind a voice kept nagging her to stay clear of the city. But she wasn't sure why.

Jessie slowly came to stop. She had to remove the bullet and stitch up her wound the best she could. It was going to hurt like hell at first but she didn't have a choice. She couldn't take the chance of infection setting in plus, the pain she was in would lessen up once the bullet was removed.

She gulped half of the bottle of water she held in her hand and shook her head as she took a deep breath. She had been shot on the her right side, so she pulled up her shirt and stared at the wound. After a few more deep breaths she reached inside the hole and felt around for the bullet. Her right hand shot up and grabbed her sterling wheel as she cried out. She found the bullet and started working it out. She dropped the bullet to the floor and leaned her head back. She allowed herself a few seconds of deep breaths before she looked back down and started stitching herself up.

Once she finished, Jessie wrapped a gauze wrap around her midsection to cover the stitches, then pulled her shirt back down and started her car back up. She was running low on gas which wasn't good. There wasn't a gas station for miles, and of course those that she passed were all abandoned and gas was probably empty. She sat for a few seconds before shaking her head and driving off. She had to keep going till she found a safe place. If that meant she had to walk at some point then she would.

An hour later the car ran out of gas, leaving Jessie stranded in the middle of nowhere. Sighing, she grabbed her bag and started walking. Jessie walked slowly, not able to move fast because of the wound. She was worried about an infection, especially as she began feeling light headed and like she was getting a fever. Neither of which she was looking forward to. But nonetheless, she pushed herself forward. Jessie hadn't been paying much attention to her surroundings until she heard movement. Her head shot up and by the time she realized what was taking place it was too late. She was surrounded by walkers and had nothing to defend herself with.

Backing away as quickly as she could, Jessie lost her footing and fell to the hard ground with a small groan of pain. Opening her eyes, she shook her head as she tried to move away from the walkers who were getting closer. Jessie did the only thing she could think of to do. Scream, as loud as she possibly could. She shut her eyes tight, as she let the tears spill from her eyes. She was sure this was the end.

Then, the sound of a body falling to the ground that caught her attention. Opening her eyes, Jessie looked to see one of the walkers on the ground, an arrow protruding from its head. She watched as they others soon fell to the ground, each with an arrow protruding from their heads.

Jessie swallowed roughly as she slowly sat up and looked around. She wasn't sure what had just happened, but was glad it did. Jessie turned to grab her bag and when she turned back around she came face to face with a crossbow. Freezing, she just simply stared as she swallowed roughly. Her eyes slowly traveled up the crossbow and came to rest on the face of the man holding it. "Please don't kill me."


	2. Chapter 2

Jessie's eyes stared wide at the man behind the crossbow. This man had just saved her life, but now she was on the receiving end of the crossbow. She wasn't a threat, certainly wasn't a walker. She wasn't sure what was going through his mind. Fear was going through Jessie's. She was terrified and in pain. The fever she was feeling made her realize she had taken to long to clean the wound.

"You got a fever?" The voice wasn't very welcoming. Jessie wasn't sure what to think. Yeah she had a fever, but what did that matter? In the confusion she simply stared in fright, opening and then closing her mouth as she tried to speak but couldn't form words. "Answer me" The voice snapped, jerking the crossbow in her face which only heightened Jessie's fear. Swallowing the lump in her throat she nodded weakling.

"Yes but what do-"

"Were you bit? Scratched?" Jessie again fell silent for a few seconds before shaking her head slowly.

"N-No. I was shot…I think..I think I took too long to clean the wound and it got infected." She managed to get out, trying to steady her voice as it trembled.

"Show me" Jessie stared at him in shock as she tried to grasp at what was going on. Again the crossbow was jerked in her face again. "Show it to me." He repeat. He was frowning and his mouth had formed a tight line.

Slowly Jessie grabbed the bottom of her shirt and pulled it up just enough for the wound to show. She moved to undo the bandage, pulling it away from the half assed stitched up wound. Jessie swallowed roughly once more as she stayed still, the man coming closer. She sighed softly in mild relief when the man lowered the crossbow after seeing the wound.

"Can you walk?"

Jessie wiped the sweat from her forehead as she blinked slowly. Fuck, she needed actual medical supplies. Not just a shitty first aid kit. She needed hospital supplies. But there wasn't a hospital for miles and she was certain that there wouldn't be any staff there. If she could just get her hands on the medicine and the right equipment she could clean and stitch up the wound right. She had almost forgotten about the man's question before he spoke again.

"Hey? You still with me in there?"

"Huh? Oh, y-yeah I'm still here…for the moment" The fever and the blood she had loss were slowly taking their toll. She was half conscious and wasn't sure how long that would last.

"Can you walk?" Again the question.

"I don't know…I feel really light headed." She sighed running a hand over her face as she tried to relax and settle down for the most part.

"Come on. We need to get out of here before more show up." Before she could say anything, she felt a hand curling around her upper arm and pulling her to her feet. Jessie gave a groan of protest as the movement caused her head to start spinning. "Climb on my back and you best hold on tight, I ain't stopping to pick up your ass if you fall." He dropped her arm and gave her his back.

Jessie blinked her eyes as she slipped her arms on the man's shoulders. She took a deep breath, using the last of her strength to pull herself up onto his back. Jessie wrapped her legs securely around his waist to ensure she wouldn't fall, and wrapped her arms loosely around his neck as not to choke him. Her head rested against the back of his shoulder as she closed her eyes.

Jessie didn't remember the trip to wherever they were heading. She had passed out shortly after the man, her savior, had started walking with her on his back. Her eyes slowly slid open as she squinted against the harsh light. Had it been this bright last time she had been awake? She wasn't quite sure.

"Hey. You alive back there?" He asked. Slowly Jessie picked her head up as she glanced around before realizing she was in deed still on the man's back.

"Yeah I'm alive." She sighed as she slowly moved one arm from around his neck to bring a hand to her eyes. Her other hand held onto his shirt.

"Thought I lost you for a minute. You've been out for hours." Jessie shook her head as she sighed and returned her other arm to wrap around his neck. She sighed as she took in the unfamiliar surroundings. She knew they were in the woods that was about it.

"Nope I'm still alive and kickin', sorry but you're stuck with me." Jessie glanced around again. "Where are we going anyway?"

"To camp." He answered.

"Camp? Are there others?"

"Small group." Jessie nodded her head slowly as she took this all in. She closed her eyes as she bit her bottom lip in pain. "When we get back to camp we'll take care of that wound of yours"

"Thank you..." Jessie managed to get out before her head slumped back onto his shoulder and she slipped once more into the realm of unconsciousness.

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><p><em>Dream<em>

_Jessie sat on the couch reading a book. Her long honey brown hair fell in gentle waves down her back and around her shoulders. It was a bright summer day and upstairs her four year old son laid in bed, still sleeping away. It was still early so she wasn't worried about waking him up just yet. Finishing her book she closed it and raised her blue eyes up to look out the window. It was a lovely day, one she certainly would never want to forget or take for granted._

_The feeling of arms wrapped loosely around her shoulders caused a smile to pull at her lips. She sighed softly as she closed her eyes and leaned her head gently against the soft lips that kissed the side of her head. Her life was perfect, all that she could ever want._

_"When Jake wakes up we'll all go out for breakfast and spend the day at the park."_ _Jessie smiled wider as she set down her book and raised her hands up to rest on the arms around her. _

_"That sounds like an excellent way to spend this beautiful day. Maybe we'll go out to a movie later and for ice cream too."_

_"And that sounds like an even __better__ idea."_

_Smiling, she turned her head to meet the familiar lips of her husbands. Pulling back she smiled and looked at him, her eyes shinning in the morning light. "I'm gonna go wake up Jake. He sleeps any longer and he won't go down for a nap or for bed tonight"_

_Standing, she made her way up the stairs and to the first room on her right. Knocking, she opened the door before crossing the room to her son's bed. "Jakey it's time to wake up." Slowly pulling back the covers, Jessie froze in horror. Staring back at her was the lifeless body of her son._

_"Mike!" She looked around frantically as everything changed. The house was in pieces. Downstairs she could hear moaning and growling of walkers, the sound of them feeding._

_"No! Mike! Jake!" Jessie cried as she looked around frantically._

_End Dream._

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><p>"No!" Jessie screamed as she bolted upright. She gasped as she looked around wide eyed. Sweat trickled down the side of her face as she fought to catch her breath. Realization struck suddenly and tears quickly filled her eyes.<p>

"Hey it's okay, you're safe now." Jessie blinked several times before turning her head to look at the female inside the tent with her. That was the first she realized she was no longer on the man's back. They must have finally reached that camp he had been talking about. "You had us all worried." Jessie blinked slowly as she was pulled from her thoughts. She frowned a little as she looked at the blonde.

"What?"

"You've been asleep for five days. We were worried you weren't going to make it. That wound was pretty nasty, took us two whole days to get your fever down. It's cleaned now and healing nicely." Jessie was slowly coming out of her dreamy haze. She was trembling a little as she tried to compose herself. Forcing a small smile onto her face she looked at the girl once more.

"Thank you. Um..if you don't mind me asking, what happened to that guy? The one who brought me here?"

"Daryl Dixon?"

"Yeah, him." Jessie made a mental note of the name for later use. She needed to thank him again for saving her. She would have been walker chow had he not come along.

"He's out hunting. He hasn't left your side since he brought you here. Been worried about you just like the rest of us." The woman paused for a few seconds before she spoke again. " Come on, let's get you some clean clothes. We're just about to sit down for some lunch. You should really eat, keep your strength up."

Jessie watched as the girl grabbed some clothes and then left to give her privacy. Once Jessie was dressed, she slowly stepped out into the sunlight. She squinted as she looked around before turning to the girl who had been in the tent earlier with her.

"I'm sorry I'm being rude. I'm Jessica, Jessica Matthews." The girl smiled and nodded as she waved her apology off.

"I'm Andrea. Come on, let's go join the others." With that, Jessie followed Andrea as they walked towards the small group sitting around the fire.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

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><p>The day was spent with Jessie sitting by the fire with the others. For the most part she was enjoying herself. She wasn't quite sure about Shane though. He seemed like a complete ass to her. But she didn't say anything, not right now anyway. However, she had a feeling problems were going to arise at some point with Shane.<p>

Jessie learned a lot about everyone in camp. Her heart ached though each time she looked at Carl. He reminded her so much of Jake. Oh how she missed her son. Her arms felt heavy from the need to hold him. Something that she would never get to do ever again. Tears formed in her eyes but she pushed them away. She didn't want to ruin things by crying right now.

Jessie sat staring at the small fire, ignoring the conversation taking place around her. There was a lot on her mind at that point. Her mind kept drifting back to the dream, or nightmare, she had. She was still having a difficult time wrapping her mind around everything that happened, what took place at the hospital, the sight at her house. Her life had been turned upside down. Everything she knew was stripped from her, leaving her stranded in this chaotic zombie filled world they now lived in.

"Jess?" The sound of a voice pulled her from her thoughts. Jessie blinked a few times before looking up in a daze of confusion.

"Huh? Oh, sorry I spaced out a little." She ran a hand through her hair as she forced a smile even though she didn't feel it deep down.

"That's alright. Dinner is ready if your hungry. It's not much, but it will do till Daryl comes back from his hunt." Jessie smiled and nodded as she listened to what Lori was saying.

"I am quite hungry, thank you. Feels like it's been forever since I last ate."

"Well you have been out cold for four days."

Jessie nodded as she took the plate carefully from Lori's hands. It was then that the smell of fish filled her senses. She gave a small sigh as she relaxed a little before she started eating. Although she was starving, Jessie ate slowly. She didn't want to overwhelm her stomach and make herself sick. That would be a tad bit foolish on her part if she did so.

After dinner everyone relaxed around the fire. Jessie sat in a pair of sweatpants and a rather large shirt that seemed to swallow her tiny frame inside of it. She had her legs pulled to her chest, arms wrapped around them and her chin resting on top her knees as she stared at the low fire. It was a bit chilly and Jessie found herself pulling the blanket more around her small frame.

Once again she found herself getting lost to her thoughts. It was the sound of a twig snapping that brought her back to reality. Slowly picking her head up she turned to look in the direction of the sound. Everyone seemed on edge, not sure what to think or what to expect. For all any of them knew, it could be a walker coming out of the woods. Looking up, she turned to look in the direction of the sound, not sure what to expect. Her fight or flight instinct kicked into flight once again.

Everyone in the group shared a small sigh of relief when they noticed that it was Daryl. Jessie slowly relaxed as she blinked a few times. She never looked away from Daryl. She looked him over from head to toe, not once but twice, as she took in everything about his appearance, from his hair to his eyes to right down to the clothes he was wearing and the familiar crossbow hanging from his shoulder.

"Good, your finally awake. You been sleeping damn near long enough. Can't take care of you forever, you know." His voice brought Jessie out of her daze. She blinked a few times before rolling her eyes a little at what had been said to her.

"Gee thanks for the concern, Crossbow." Jessie adjusted herself as she turned so she was facing the fire. The others stifled their laughter as they tried to act like they weren't listening to the conversation taking place.

Jessie could feel his eyes burning holes into the back of her head. From her guess he was probably glaring at her. Jessie stared at the fire for a little longer before she smiled. She turned her head to glance over her shoulder at him.

"Take a picture Dixon it'll last longer." That earned her yet another look from him. Jessie simply smiled and stretched her arms over her head, letting out a small yawn.

"Tired already? Didn't know I brought sleeping beauty back to camp." Daryl snapped.

Jessie looked at him through strands of honey brown hair as she smiled.

"Beauty huh? Guess that's a compliment"

"It ain't no compliment"

"That's a double negative, meaning it is"

"The hell would I give a compliment to you? You can't even defend yourself against a few walkers.

You just laid there and screamed like a little bitch."

Jessie was finding this to be a bit amusing. She laughed softly and shook her head. By this time the others had returned to their tents for the night, leaving the bickering Jessie and Daryl by the fire.

"Didn't have a weapon on me to use."

"I doubt that was the problem." He said with a smirk.

A smile pulled at the corners of her mouth as her eyes stared at his in the dim light that was given off by the camp fire. She waited a few minutes, letting the silence hang in the air between them.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"Saving my ass back there. You didn't have to, could have just let the walkers get me." Jessie watched Daryl shifted on his feet as he stared at her. Silence hung between them for a few moments before he finally spoke again.

"Whatever." Jessie would take that for now. She smiled and nodded a little as her eyes looked to the fire again. She watched the flames flicker as her smile slowly faded from her face. "It's late. You should get some sleep, need to keep your strength up."

Nodding a little, Jessie slowly rose to her feet in almost a daze like state. Wrapping her arms around her small form, she slowly headed back towards the tent she was to be sharing with Andrea.

Daryl stood by the fire as he watched the petite girl walk back to the tent. He couldn't take his eyes off her no matter what he did at this point. He felt angry at himself for being attracted to her. It was obvious she was married. Or had been at one point in her life. The ring on her finger made that very clear. He shouldn't be having these feelings for a married woman. But then again he wasn't sure if her husband was even still alive.

Shaking his head Daryl grabbed a bucket of water and poured it on the remaining fire before he retired to his own tent. That night he found it difficult to sleep. Every time he closed his eyes he pictured the honey brown hair, blue eyed girl he had saved from walkers four days ago. He kept pushing the image away but it only kept coming back. No matter what he tired, he just couldn't fully convince himself that he didn't want this woman.


	4. Chapter 4

Daryl had a rough night sleeping as he kept tossing and turning. Each time he closed his eyes he pictured honey brown hair and bright blue eyes. How the hell could he be so caught up in a girl when he didn't even know her damn name? He got an hour of sleep if he was lucky. It was still early, just barely light out, but he could hear people moving around. Then he heard a loud scream from some of the girls. Getting up, he grabbed his crossbow and left his tent quickly.

"What the hell is going on?" He questioned seeing Lori, Andrea and the familiar honey brown hair and blue eyes of the girl he saved, all standing on a log. Rick and Shane appeared to be amused about the girls' reactions to whatever was on the ground.

"The girls got scared of a little snake." Rick said.

"That isn't a little snake!" Jessie screeched in protest. Lori and Andrea nodding quickly in agreement. Jessie pointed in front of them and shook her head. "If that's little I'd hate to see a fuckin big one!" She said as she shook her head. "Someone get it out of here!" Jessie whined as she looked from Rick and Shane over to Daryl.

"Can't believe you're afraid of a damn snake" Shane said which made Jessie glare at him.

"Oh yeah? And tell me big guy, you aren't afraid of anything?" She questioned, narrowing her eyes.

"I'm not afraid of anything." Shane said confidently. Jessie only smirked before she slowly let the smile fade.

"SPIDER!SPIDER!" She shouted pointing over Shane's head. The girls all started laughing as they watched Shane jump and wildly swing his hands around at the imaginary spider.

"Not afraid of anything huh?" She smirked as she placed her hands on her hips.

"That's not fair, spiders can be poisonous." Shane argued and Jessie shook her head.

"So can Snakes." She said.

"You better watch yourself." Shane warned, getting in her face. Daryl watched this, his grip tightening on his crossbow. Seeing Shane getting that close pissed him off. Jessie only smirked, not threatened by him at all.

"No Shane, you better watch yourself. You piss me off and I can guarantee we'll be having some problems. Just remember. I'm a nurse and had a brother who was an FBI Agent. I could kill you without so much as breaking a sweat." She said, her voice low as her eyes seemed to darken a little. Then as if she hadn't just threatened him, Jessie smiled and turned her head to look at Daryl as her hand pointed towards the snake. "Hey Dixon, can you get rid of the snake?" She asked.

Shane was taken back by what just happened. Not only had this girl just threatened him, but she acted like it hadn't just happened. And now she was asking Daryl to get rid of the snake as though it was nothing.

"Right, Daryl actually do something for someone else? That'll be the day." Shane scoffed before turning away and walking away. Jessie stuck her tongue out at his disappearing form in a childish manner. Andrea and Lori laughed and so did Rick. She then turned to look at Daryl once more.

"Hey crossbow, Ya still with me in there?" She asked waving a hand in his direction. When he didn't blink and just stared at her, Jessie rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips as she bent forward a little. "Hey Dixon!" She smiled when he finally moved and looked at her. "Take a picture it'll last longer." She said with a smile.

Daryl shook his head, acting like he hadn't just been starring at her or taking in her body. She was wearing a pair of form fitting jeans and a black tank top that hugged her body in all the right places. She was small but had curves in all the places he liked to see on a woman. Moving ahead he took care of the snake before returning to his tent. He needed to get away from her and think, which was impossible as she kept entering her thoughts.

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><p>Jessie was down by the lake with the girls later that day. She was helping out as best she could and where she could. She was washing dishes with Carol while Lori and Andrea were doing laundry. Jessie was lost in her thoughts until she heard them all laughing.<p>

"What's so funny?" She questioned, looking at them all confused as she blinked a few times.

"It's just we have never seen Daryl Dixon do something for anyone." Andrea said, wringing out a shirt before putting it into the tub with the others.

"Or stare at someone so much without a look of hatred in his eyes." Lori added as Andrea nodded.

"I don't know what you're getting at." Jessie said before returning to what she was doing.

"Come on Jess, you can't tell me you haven't noticed him starring at you." Andrea said as the girls all stopped and looked at Jessie.

"So what he stares that's not a big deal" She mumbled, trying to focus on what she was doing and hide her face as her cheeks started turning red.

"You're blushing!" Andrea said before she started laughing with Lori and Carol. Jessie shook her head.

"No I'm not! You're seeing things." She said, hiding behind her hair.

"I think someone has a thing for Dixon." Andrea said with a teasing tone in her voice. Carol and Lori both laughed as they watched this.

"I do not!" Jessie tried to hide her face more but it was becoming useless. Her cheeks were flaming red by this point and she had nowhere to hide.

"Then why are you blushing?" Lori asked as they all sat and watched Jessie squirm in her spot, trying to hide her face still.

"I'm not blushing, it's just very warm out here." She lied, none of the girls believed it as they just smirked and watched you.

"Someone has it BAD for Dixon" Lori stated, the girls watched as Jessie's face only got more heated and laughed.

"Come on, it's just us, you can tell us" Andrea said, Lori and Carol nodded.

Jessie gave a small sigh as she but down the plate that she held in her hands. "Alright yes! Yes I have a thing for Dixon." She admitted, causing the girls to laugh at how red her face was.

"Is it wrong to though?" She asked and looked at them, causing them all to calm down.

"Why would it be wrong?" Andrea questioned as they all looked at her. Jessie sighed softly and pulled on the sliver chain around her neck, pulling it out from her shirt and showing what was on the end of it. A wedding ring.

" My husband is dead, so is my son. They died when the outbreak hit. It wasn't that long ago so is it wrong to have feelings for another man so soon?" Jessie questioned as she looked at the three.

"It's not cheating if that's what you're thinking." Andrea spoke up first as she watched Jessie. "It would be different if your husband was in fact still alive but he's dead. You're single and available." She said. Jessie took this in as she nodded slowly, tucking the chain back into her shirt as she wiped a few stray tears from her face.

"I just feel a little guilty though. But you're right. He's dead, I can't be married to a dead man." She said as she washed another plate and rinsed it off.

They all sat in silence for a while as they continued with what they were doing. Jessie washed the dishes and then handed them to Carol to dry off and stack in the bin to carry them back to camp. Andrea and Lori washed clothes. For the longest time the only noise that passed between them was the sound of water splashing and scrubbing.

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><p>That evening they all sat around the fire eating dinner, which for the night consisted of fish that the girls had caught earlier that day. Jessie was silent as she stared down at her plate, picking at her food. She was hungry but couldn't bring herself to eat much. She took small bites here and there but that was it.<p>

From across the fire she could feel eyes on her, burning holes in her skull. Daryl sat just watching her all night. She had to admit, it was a little unnerving sometimes how he just stared. The only time he'd look away was when she'd look up at him. But then the moment she'd look back down she'd feel his eyes on her once more.

Before she knew it, everyone was heading to their own tents, leaving her and Daryl at the fire alone. Dale patted her on the shoulder as he said goodnight and walked to the RV. Jessie picked at the fish again, taking another small bite. Silence passed for a few moments.

"You should eat more." Daryl said, breaking the silence and causing Jessie to jump a little.

"I'm not really hungry." She said, finally looking up from her plate. Only to find Daryl was not sitting across the fire anymore, but standing right in front of her. Jessie just looked up at him questioningly, not sure what was going on.

"Don't matter. You need to eat. You'll make yourself weak" He said as he looked down at her.

Jessie just stared up at him for the longest time, neither one of them broke eye contact. Finally Jessie looked away and down at her plate as she picked at it.

"I'm not that big on fish…less it's fish sticks" She said.

"You don't have room to be picky." Daryl said, shifting his weight a little before kneeling down in front of her. "At least eat half of it. Give your body something." He said, never moving his eyes from her face. Jessie slowly looked up as she blinked a few times. She sat staring at him for a few moments before slowly nodding her head.

"Alright." She gave in as she ate some more of the fish. Jessie wasn't sure why but for some reason she couldn't say no when he was telling her to do something. After she finished, Jessie got up and made her way to her tent for the night. For several hours she laid just staring at the side of the tent, her mind wandering and thinking about Daryl. Sleep didn't come easy for her that night.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 of Savior With A Crossbow. Things get a little heated between Jessie and Daryl**

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><p>That night Jessie didn't finally fall asleep till what she figured was close to midnight or one in the morning. Even when she finally managed to fall asleep Daryl invaded her mind, slipped into her dreams. She woke up hearing a crash and series of curses.<p>

Opening her blue eyes she blinked slowly before pulling the covers off her. Sliding off the makeshift bed, she rose to her feet. Sighing she ran her fingers through her hair before changing. She slid on a pair of jeans with a button up flannel shirt which she left unbuttoned, a black tank top underneath. Sliding on her boots she laced them up before stepping out of the tent and zipped the door closed behind her.

Taking in her surroundings she soon realized that the crashing sound she had heard was Shane knocking something over, and he was the one who had been swearing as well. With a roll of her blue eyes, Jessie trudged her way to the RV where she joined Dale on the roof as she looked around.

Jessie felt safe here, well with everyone except for Shane anyway. And Dale reminded her so much of her grandfather. She laughed softly as she watched him wind his watch, something she noticed the first day she met him. Everyone had their little things to try and hold onto what had been normal. For her, Jessie liked to read. It almost made her forget about what was happening around her.

"Have a good sleep?" Dale's question pulled her from her own thoughts.

"Could have been better. Didn't get much sleep, my mind kept wandering." She said with a smile and simple shrug of her shoulders. "But I slept like a baby when I finally did fall asleep."

"Hey Jessie?" Rick's voice came from the ladder they used to get up to the roof of the RV.

"Yeah?" She turned her head to look at him, wondering what was going on.

"I hate to bother you, but can you check on Carl? He's complaining he doesn't feel good and he feels a little warm." He questioned.

Jessie nodded as she stood up. "It's not a bother Rick I'm a nurse, best thing I can offer the group is medical help if it's needed." She said as she followed him down the ladder and to the tent. Inside Lori sat by Carl.

Jessie moved around to the other side so Lori didn't have to move. She crouched down and lightly pressed her hand to his forehead. "He has a slight fever, nothing too much to worry about. Let him rest for the day, he should be fine by tomorrow. Probably just a twenty four hour bug." She said standing up once more.

"Thanks Jessie" Rick said.

Jessie smiled and nodded before stepping out of the tent. Sighing she ran her hands over her face as she took in a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself down. Seeing Rick, Lori and Carl together reminded her of what she had lost. What she would never have again.

Glancing down at her hand, her eyes fell on her wedding ring. Shaking her head she turned and started making her way down to the lake. She ignored people calling after her. She knew going somewhere on her own wasn't safe, even if it was just down to the lake. Going on her own and without a weapon wasn't the brightest idea. But Jessie wasn't thinking right now.

When she came to the lake, Jessie stopped for a moment as she stared at the water. Shaking her head she wiped at the tears that fell from her bright blue eyes and walked the rest of the way to the lake's edge. Pulling the ring off her finger, Jessie looked down at it as she contemplated for a moment. Then grabbing the silver chain from around her neck, Jessie pulled it off and placed both rings in her hand.

For a moment everything seemed to fade away. As she stared down at the rings she was hit full force with memories of her life. The first time she met Mike, the first night they made love, the night he proposed, their wedding day, their honeymoon, Jake's birth. All of it flashed through her mind in a blur. With a loud cry, Jessie balled her hands into fists as tears fell quickly from her eyes and down the sides of her face. With another cry she threw the rings as hard and far as she could and watched as they sunk down to the bottom of the lake.

Jessie fell down to her knees as she wrapped her arms around herself. Bent over she closed her eyes tightly as her whole body shook as she cried. She felt so sick at this point. Jessie blamed herself for not being home that day. Had she been at home she could have protect her son. What kind of mother was she? She wasn't able to protect her son when he had needed her the most.

"I'm so sorry Jake...I'm so sorry" She managed to choke out through her sobs.

A twig snapping caught her attention. Snapping her head up she looked around to see who was there. Sighing she turned her head away and shook her head. She wasn't in the mood to deal with anyone right now.

"You shouldn't go off alone. Especially without a weapon. I didn't save your ass for you to get yourself killed." Daryl said as he made his way towards her.

"I really don't care right now Dixon just leave me alone." She said as she wiped at her eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere." He said, never taking his eyes off her.

Jessie didn't like being watched when she was crying. All she wanted was to be left alone to her thoughts. Standing up she trudged over to Daryl and glared at him. "I said leave me alone what part of that is so hard to comprehend?" She snapped.

"And I told you I'm not going anywhere." He snapped back.

"I'm not a baby! I don't need you watching me!" She yelled, moving closer and shoving him somewhat.

Jessie reached up to shove him again. Daryl grabbed her by the arms and pulled her to him, crushing her small body against his chest. He stared down at her sternly, watching the shock register in her blue eyes. Leaning down till his face was almost touching her's he said "Don't you ever storm off like that again. Especially without a weapon or someone with you."

Jessie was at a lost for words as she stared into his blue eyes. She couldn't form a single thought let alone a word to say. Jessie nodded her head a little in response to what Daryl had said.

She was so lost in his eyes she didn't even notice that his hands had moved until she felt one hand in her hair and the other on her waist. Jessie opened her mouth to speak but didn't get a chance to say anything as he crushed his mouth to hers. The roughness of the kiss caused Jessie to moan softly. She had never admitted it before, but liked it rough.

Jessie's arms wrapped around his shoulders as her fingers raked through his short hair, grasping it in her hands as she kissed him back with the same amount of roughness. She couldn't help but smirk a little hearing the almost animalistic growl coming him.

Daryl grabbed her hips as he lifted her off the ground, forcing Jessie to wrap her slender legs around his waist. Turning he pressed her back against the large rocks behind them. Pulling away from her lips he began to kiss along her jawline and down her neck. Coming to a stop just above her collarbone he kissed and sucked on the spot, listening to the sounds she made. Biting at the skin, his hands found the bottom of her tank top and slowly slid under the fabric till his hands touched her skin. Moving his mouth back to hers, he kissed her hard once more, this time shoving his tongue into her mouth. Just as his hands started to to trail up her sides, Daryl heard footsteps and voices. Pulling away quickly he moved away from Jessie and watched from the corner of his eye as she quickly adjusted her shirt and her hair.

"There you are. Come on it's time for lunch." Andrea said as she looked between the two of them.

Jessie smiled and nodded a little. "Thanks Andrea." She said as she glanced at Daryl before blushing and looking away as she followed Andrea back to camp. She knew that wasn't going to be the last time she encountered Daryl Dixon like that.

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><p><strong>If you are following this story, I apologize for the late updates. I'm working on two other stories as well. For those interested the titles are: The Girl With Chocolate Brown Eyes and Best Friends. <strong>


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